Academics
What is STEAM?
The Portledge STEAM Initiative brings together the disciplines of
Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics in exciting new ways to prepare our students for the future.
Contact: Robert Muratore, Ph.D., Director of STEAM, rmuratore@portledge.org
The A in STEAM
There are many reasons why STEM has evolved to STEAM, that is, now includes the arts with the technical fields. Some are evident, such as the need for creativity. However, there is a more pedagogical reason that has to do with literacy. When scientists and students read a scientific journal article (or a textbook), the first thing they tend to do is look at the figures. A good figure (such as a graph, a diagram, or a photograph) can tell an important part of the story. It can be the key to decoding complex textual material. Therefore, reading literacy can be reinforced effectively by a Visual Arts curriculum, starting with early childhood and continuing throughout a child's education.
Expanded Research Program
I am excited to announce that, in collaboration with the Science Department, the Portledge Upper School is greatly expanding our Research Program. We now have two new courses and one revamped course.
Freshman
Research Methods in Experimental Biology A, a new core curriculum course designed for incoming freshmen who completed an 8th-grade biology course. This course is designed to provide students with a mentored research experience while applying their content knowledge in biology. Emphasis will be on examining the core research process, taking the students step-by-step from determining the question to be answered, performing experiments and analyzing data, and evaluating the process and product. This will be done through guided and instructional research followed by student-designed research projects. Reading of primary and secondary research articles to gain exposure to some methodology used in biological research in areas of ecology, molecular biology, and bioinformatics will be emphasized. Guest speakers will enhance the course and students will be asked to present their research and to develop a paper in the form of a scientific article.
Freshman and Sophomores
Science Research Methods, a new elective, offering full academic credit. This course is designed to provide students with a mentored research experience in pure and applied science. Emphasis will be on the core research process and taking the students step-by-step from determining the research question, to performing experiments and analyzing data, and evaluating the process and product. This will be done through guided and instructional research followed by an independent research project. Students will be asked to present their research and develop a paper in the form of a scientific article.
Juniors and Seniors
Independent Science Research, a revamped elective, now offers a full academic credit.
Lower School
Ms. Colleen Burke, Lower School Science Teacher, has introduced a new Junior Research elective for 4th Grade. The students are exploring topics of personal interest and learning how to present these topics with the Canva design suite.
Freshman
Research Methods in Experimental Biology A, a new core curriculum course designed for incoming freshmen who completed an 8th-grade biology course. This course is designed to provide students with a mentored research experience while applying their content knowledge in biology. Emphasis will be on examining the core research process, taking the students step-by-step from determining the question to be answered, performing experiments and analyzing data, and evaluating the process and product. This will be done through guided and instructional research followed by student-designed research projects. Reading of primary and secondary research articles to gain exposure to some methodology used in biological research in areas of ecology, molecular biology, and bioinformatics will be emphasized. Guest speakers will enhance the course and students will be asked to present their research and to develop a paper in the form of a scientific article.
Freshman and Sophomores
Science Research Methods, a new elective, offering full academic credit. This course is designed to provide students with a mentored research experience in pure and applied science. Emphasis will be on the core research process and taking the students step-by-step from determining the research question, to performing experiments and analyzing data, and evaluating the process and product. This will be done through guided and instructional research followed by an independent research project. Students will be asked to present their research and develop a paper in the form of a scientific article.
Juniors and Seniors
Independent Science Research, a revamped elective, now offers a full academic credit.
Lower School
Ms. Colleen Burke, Lower School Science Teacher, has introduced a new Junior Research elective for 4th Grade. The students are exploring topics of personal interest and learning how to present these topics with the Canva design suite.
Student Research Highlights
JARVIS Personal Assistant
Junior Ryan Levy has taken advantage of the increased computing power of personal computers and smartphones to create a local version of Siri or Alexa that respects the user's privacy. Ryan explains at the Make: Projects site: << https://makeprojects.com/project/jarvis-personal-assistant-weyvg >>
Junior Ryan Levy has taken advantage of the increased computing power of personal computers and smartphones to create a local version of Siri or Alexa that respects the user's privacy. Ryan explains at the Make: Projects site: << https://makeprojects.com/project/jarvis-personal-assistant-weyvg >>
"Over the past few months, I have been learning python. I thought it would be an interesting project to make my own personal assistant like Alexa or Siri. I named it JARVIS after Iron Man's personal assistant in the Marvel Universe. I created JARVIS using several python modules and APIs, including google translate, Wikipedia, and weather services. Here are some of the tasks JARVIS can do: Tell the weather in any US city, translate from English to 5 different languages (French, Spanish, Russian, Hebrew, and Italian), get Wikipedia information on any topic, tell a joke, and many others."
Currently, JARVIS understands the following phrases:
how do you say, definition / meaning, email, info, search, trivia, joke, weather, open, card, hi / hello / hey, fine / good/ ok, thank, bad / not good / awful, spell, flip a coin, roll a die, roll two dice, lower / whisper, go to sleep / stop.
how do you say, definition / meaning, email, info, search, trivia, joke, weather, open, card, hi / hello / hey, fine / good/ ok, thank, bad / not good / awful, spell, flip a coin, roll a die, roll two dice, lower / whisper, go to sleep / stop.
Pros and Cons of Gaming
Freshman Anna Bloch, working with Institutional Review Board approval, has surveyed high school students. She found that those who play video games more than three hours daily have quicker reaction times than those who play less (+ 0.9 standard deviations for 15 students). Both groups scored about the same on indirect memory tests of hippocampal function.
Freshman Anna Bloch, working with Institutional Review Board approval, has surveyed high school students. She found that those who play video games more than three hours daily have quicker reaction times than those who play less (+ 0.9 standard deviations for 15 students). Both groups scored about the same on indirect memory tests of hippocampal function.
New Publication
A scientific paper by Portledge Senior Haowen Yang has just appeared in a prestigious journal published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. His work, based on a virtual presentation last Fall, describes the Physics of the Frisbee flying disk. Haowen is a member of the Independent Science Research class at Portledge. An abstract of his article can be found in the link following the article citation:
Yang H. A Prediction Software to Evaluate Frisbee Movement. Proceedings of the ASME 2021 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition. Volume 13: Safety Engineering, Risk, and Reliability Analysis; Research Posters. Virtual, Online. November 1–5, 2021. V013T15A011. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/IMECE2021-70925
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Portledge School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy applies to, but is not limited to, educational policies, admission, financial aid, hiring and employment practices, use of school facilities, athletics, and other school-administered programs.